Dancing Phalanges *

Sunday 30^th June

Those of you who were not ‘with us’ on the blog last year may not know that, whilst in Crete in 2012,  we spent a few days at INSTAP (the American school of archaeology) in Pachia Ammos recording 100s of bones – toe bones (or phalanges to be precise). They are part of 1000s of skeletal remains (representing over 400 people) found buried as a secondary burial in a cave at Agios Charalambos around 3000 years ago in the Minoan period.  Dr Tina McGregor, for whom we are recording the bones, took us and her other helper, Sophie, to Agios Charalambos in the Lasithi Plateau to see where all the bones had had been found. It was a strange, but nice, feeling to see where the bones had come from and helped to make it even more personal that we are helping to give these people an identity again as it were.  Secondary burial, if you don't know, is something the Minoans were particularly keen on and it involved them moving the bodies of their dead sometime after the initial burial had taken place.  It is thought that the burial in the cave at Agios Charalambos took place over a relatively short period of time, possibly even on just one or two occasions (so they would have been big occasions then). Along with the human bones, a number of animal bones and other artifacts were found, such as drinking vessels, which suggests that this secondary burial was accompanied by feasting.  Great care must have gone into the re-burial since all parts of the human anatomy, including first-, second-, and third-row phalanges of fingers and toes are represented.

The large hole is the first part of the cave (rooms 1 & 2) that collapsed

To the right of me is a green plastic bag – this is the ‘new’ entrance to the cave which is now blocked off
( fortunately this meant that we did not have to find excuses not to crawl in!)

Tina returning from checking the ‘security’ of the blocked entrance

The ‘helpers’

After the cave we went to see the Natural History Museum in Lasithi. Apparently it has the only ‘stuffed’ Cretan wildcat in existence!  The museum was definitely compact but still very interesting, giving an overview of the flora and fauna to be seen both now and in the past.  There was a map showing the areas in Crete where remains of dwarf hippos have been found, which I found especially interesting.  Crete, along with other Mediterranean islands, is one of the places where certain species of animals in the past became much smaller, hippos being one of them along with elephants and deer.  The museum also gave us one of the funniest translation 'errors' we have seen in an while.  The caption by the Cretan wildcat says...."It preys upon small mammals (mice, hairs) but occasionally on birds and reptiles as well"  !!  The Cretan wildcat was thought to be extinct until, in 1996, a living specimen was captured and studied at the Natural History Museum in Heraklion for a few days until being released back into the wild.  To give you an idea of its size, a wildcat can reach a body length of 50cm to 60cm and a tail length of 30cm.

It’s not real – well it was once but not now!

Monday 1^st July 

Most this week saw us at Pachia Ammos recording bones again – but we have moved up (literally!)  from the toes of last year to fingers this year!  Sophie had sorted a large number of them so our task is to take measurements and record any pathology that can be seen on them - and there is quite a lot of that!

‘Dancing phalanges’
(well you would see what we mean if you could see Dud’s fingers wiggling)*

Dr Dud looking like he knows what he’s doing (I say ‘looking’ …)
– fortunately he only has to measure them!

Tuesday 2^nd July

Off to Pachia Ammos again – can’t get enough of these bones! Left the builders working on the driveway of the apartment and came back to a nice new slope/ramp to the driveway. Before the slope we kept running the risk of losing our exhaust when driving into the driveway.

New smooth entry slope/ramp to the driveway – luxury!

Wednesday 3^rd July

In the evening we went down to Bogazi’s to hear the music. One of the musicians we knew from last year (Vangelis) was there again and remembered us from last year. Great music as usual and much dancing took place, although not by us!

Dancing girls – I enjoyed the music; Dud enjoyed the dancing girls 

Thursday 4^th July was a quiet day which was just as well as Friday 5^th July started off quiet but didn't end that way! Went down to Dimitri’s for supper.  Loads of people suddenly turned up around 10pm when we wanted to leave. Dimitri was too busy for us to pay the bill so he said ‘pay later’. We left and went for a raki or two  in Kokylia where the Americans were belatedly celebrating 4th July.  On our way home we saw Dimitri was less busy so went to pay bill and ended up in 'locals corner' with more raki !  Home eventually......

Saturday 6^th July  was another quiet day then Nick and Heather came round to us for supper and the day – well, evening, livened up with a combination of  home cooked lasagne washed down with beer or cider, wine and finally raki! 

As for Sunday, 7^th July, we intended a quiet a day watching Murray lose again at Wimbledon.  However, nothing went as we thought as, at around 5.30 pm, Nick and Heather sent us a text to say come over for a drink, and Murray.................well he won! We left N & H around 10.30 - the whole day was far from quiet!!

Toasting Murray's win at Nick and Heather’s BBQ area

Tuesday and Thursday we went for a run – we have been rather lapse with the running but now hope to be on a bit of a roll with it. Still recording bones at Pachia Ammos during the day times. Friday was our last day at Pachia Ammos for a bit though as we must get on with our own work, and also Warner and Barbara are coming over next week. Heather went back to the UK on Thursday and on Friday we got a text from Nick to say he was on his own in Kokylia’s and needed company!! In fact we were at an archaeological talk in Pachia Ammos but joined him afterwards at around 8.30pm. We (that is, Dud and I) left at around 2.00am but Nick, although he got up to leave with us, didn't quite make it past Yiorgo’s table (Yiorgo owns Kokylia) even though, apart for Yiorgo, there was no one left in the taverna. It seems that Nick has introduced Yiorgo to cider drinking! We later heard from Yiorgo that they finished up around 3.30am. I’m glad we didn't stay late!! Saturday was a rather late start and a very quiet day!

Sunday 14^th July

Went down to see Panagiotis at Mochlos Mare (where we used to stay) about 8pm and found that he had some visitors from Zakros (about 1.5 hours drive away) - the 'girls' were out walking with Maria & Tommy the dog, whilst Nikos was drinking raki with Panagiotis.  We had a couple of glasses of raki and some fresh produce from the garden to eat with it, then went down to Kokylia for supper.  Later (c.10pm) Panagiotis et al. arrived at Kokylia for their supper too! As we were walking home, Dimitri called out to us to have ‘one for the road' with him, so we had one more glass of raki to round off the evening (listening to Pink Floyd!).

View from our top balcony of Mochlos island and village to the left

* why 'dancing phalanges' ? - well for those of you who watch Bones on TV you might remember when Brennan (Bones) entertains a baby in an amusing way.  You can see it here if you don't know what I'm talking about....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt9KKxJ2ARA

Mochlos - the sequel !

Wednesday 19th June: We’re back in sunny Mochlos! 

First view of Mochlos as we drive down from the main road

Once unpacked and settled in, our first visit was to Panagiotis and Sterie who looked after us so well on our first few visits at Mochlos Mare (white building in centre of picture) – and our first raki! We then returned to the apartment to meet up with Australians, Peter and Rosanne Coumbis who actually own the property we stay in. We spent a very pleasant evening with them down at Kokylia’s. They were going back to Athens at the crack of dawn the next day so we didn’t see them off!  They eventually arrived back in Australia on the Saturday – and Dud complains about a 3.5 hour flight to Gatwick!

For some reason we didn't get around to taking a photo of the four of us that first evening, so, we borrowed this great pic sent to us by P & R the week before we arrived just to show us what we were missing!

Rosanne and Peter – Mochlos island in the background 

Most of Thursday, Friday and Saturday I spent in the 'Cretan Office' – no peace for the righteous (or something like that). Thursday evening we went down to Dmitri’s tavern and had the delicious meze starter – it’s a starter to die for! And his music is terrific so we stayed awhile with raki!

Friday night we stayed in! I cooked a ‘spag bog’ and we sat out on our lower balcony with copious amounts of wine to comfort us which was very relaxing. But on the Saturday evening we were invited to a talk in the American Archaeological School (INSTAP) two villages away in Pachia Ammos. It was nice to see some old faces again – well, not so much ‘old’, but faces from last year – you know what I mean (I hope they do anyway) and it looks like we may be helping out recording some finger phalanges this year (it was toe phalanges last year - to those who didn’t follow our blog last year, phalanges are bones! ).

Sunday, still in the 'office' during the day but the evening was ‘Fiesta Time’ in Mochlos - music, dancing and drinking!!! And the moon rising ….. Then came midnight – and so into Monday – it was Nick’s birthday and he was given a melon ‘cake’ and candle.

Fiesta! – Nick & Heather eyeing different cameras – Dud literally and figuratively half-cut to the right

Moon rising over the distant hills that evening (no more of pics of these - too many last year!!)

Come midnight it was Nick’s birthday so he had a melon ‘cake’ with candle.

Babis standing to the right was MoC

Then Monday …. well, you can probably guess what I was still doing – but only until lunchtime as it was over to Nick’s and Heather’s fabulous new house, literally a 5 minute walk away, for his birthday BBQ. Here are some pics of the afternoon/evening ….

The pool awaiting water in the back garden … or is it the front garden … *

of N&H’s new pad – lovely view (lovely pad)

*Nick said this was the front because it’s what you see as you approach the house; Dud said it was the back as the front door was on the other side. Well, you can just image their ‘discussion’ after several beers and glasses of wine …. I’ll say no more!

Dud and I in the BBQ – well, not literally ’in it’

Don’t jump! – take your glasses off, there’s no water in the pool

Dud and Nick still celebrating Nick’s birthday with wine in the early evening

- this time in the front  . .. or maybe the back, garden

And finally ....

Later on in the evening at Kokylia’s, Dud and Nick still celebrating Nick’s birthday

– with  raki this time (the coffee cup is mine!)

Needless to say, Tuesday I was still working while Dud was recovering.  Later on in the day we got an email from Maria (Panagitotis & Sterie's daughter)  inviting us over  for galaktakoboureka - which Sterie had freshly made.  So, down we went and yes there was raki, fresh food to taste and a new neighbour to meet- Yiannis from just below where we live. When we left we were given a 'goody' bag of fresh produce plus the lovely galaktakoboureka!  Went down to Kokylia for some raki and a few mezes to round off the evening - the bill was a staggering €2.50 for the raki - the mezes were free because in Crete you never just drink, you always have to eat as well.

Well, onto Wednesday and a new word for the emails - relentless!  However, I did manage to have a couple of half-hour sessions outside with Sudoku in the sun so it was not all bad.  Nick drove past at one point and we agreed to meet later at Kokylia for supper - and birthday cake, which Yiorgis had told us about the night before.  So, in what must have been one of the longest birthday celebrations ever, we had birthday cake......again !

yummy - more birthday cake

The latter part of the week and things finally began to settle down in the Cretan Office.  Thursday we had a quiet night in and I cooked using some of the delicious produce from Panagiotis' garden.  Then onto Friday and our second visit to INSTAP, where  Tina & Sophie were waiting for us and had bags and trays of finger phalanges ready for us to measure and record!  We got started and managed almost a hundred before being a bit 'phalanged-out' and calling it a day.  We agreed to meet up on Sunday for a visit to the cave where all these bones were found.  It is in the Lassithi Plateau about an hours' drive away, home also to the Dikteon Cave where, according to mythology, Zeus ('king' of the Greek gods) was born.  Oh, except he also might have been born in the Idean Cave depending on which myth you read!  Supper was at Dimitris and followed by a late raki in the kafeneio part of Kokylia.

Awaiting the meze starter at Dimitris'

The end part of the evening found us sitting outside on the seafront with Nicky, some of the American archaeologists, two guitars and some singing!

Contemplating the next song 

Needless to say, Saturday was a quiet day.........apart from writing the blog of course !